[gowing238]

Hi all!!

After something of a disaster on our site with manure and the amno poison thing i have decided me and manure are over, and its time i tried this green manure lark!!

So i intend to start sowing during the next three weeks over around 200sq metres.

Just wondering what you would all recommend to plant?? The cheaper the better and a good seed supplier would also be a help!!

Many thanks in advance!
stuart.

[Yorkie]

There have been quite a few posts on this recently; you'll find a forum search will locate them.  If you have clubroot avoid mustard.

[Swing Swang]

Depends on your soil and your crop rotation plans and how easy a time you want digging it in too

[gowing238]

I have quite heavy soil, but not clay. No clubroot either!! 

Have had a look at some previous posts and am thinking winter mix to get down on most of the beds i have coming empty now and next month, and for the beds that will still have brassicas in most winter and the carrot beds, a spring mix gren manure to plant early next year. Have had a look around and moles seeds seem very reasonable. What you think!!

[Swing Swang]

I'm considering a mix of grazing rye and field beans on a similar soil - I think that digging in the grazing rye next year might be hard work, but at least the tops of the field beans can be nipped out for salads or cooking if they don't do too well

[stompy]

I will be useing crimson clover over winter and will rotavate the whole lot in in march.

I can't get manure where i am in the quantities that i need so i will be giving this a go.

[Potty Plotty Lotty]

I'm considering a mix of grazing rye and field beans on a similar soil

Likewise, I'm planning grazing rye and field beans-that's on the area for next year's brassicas. I'm hoping to sow this towards the end of October after I've cleared the tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes etc from this bed. (I'll put my spring cabbages at the end of this bed)

I'm also going to use a mix of grazing rye and fodder radish on a currently empty bed which I'm planning to sow peas and broad beans in next year-I'll dig that in as early in the year as the ground allows.

I bought mine from  http://www.sowseeds.co.uk/

I used grazing rye after I first cleared the allotment and it wasn't as bad as I feared to dig in so I'm giving it another go.

(I have reasonably heavy clay soil )

[gowing238]

So is it possible to use this method and not need to use horse manure ever again? Or should manure still be planned in somewhere along the line??

[Swing Swang]

@PPL - thanks for the comment that the grazing rye wasn't too difficult to dig in. I'd be interested to know if digging it in actually killed it off, or did you have to weed/hoe it into submission during the growing season?

[Potty Plotty Lotty]

@PPL - thanks for the comment that the grazing rye wasn't too difficult to dig in. I'd be interested to know if digging it in actually killed it off, or did you have to weed/hoe it into submission during the growing season?

I used shears to cut it down to the ground (don't have a strimmer) then dug it all in. A couple of bits of root started growing again where I hadn't dug them in properly and I either tried again or chucked those bits on the compost heap.

So is it possible to use this method and not need to use horse manure ever again? Or should manure still be planned in somewhere along the line??

I'm sure there are many opinions on this matter!

This book apparently argues that it is possible (not obvious from the blurb on the link below admittedly)-I'm waiting to get my hands on a copy.

http://www.eco-logicbooks.co.uk/index.cfm?fa=book_details&book_id=990

Next year I plan to use green manure as stated above and reserve the horse manure for hungry feeders such as courgette and squash and raspberries. I'd like to reduce my use of manure mainly because of importing weeds onto the plot but also the time taken to bag it up sufficient quantities and collect it from my current source in multiple car loads. (Husband is NOT keen on manure on the car either!  )

I'm not convinced whether green manure will actually save time, but provided I don't allow it to go to seed anything that doesn't increase the number of weeds on the plot is a bonus!

Next year my ideas will probably change, (depending on what I learn on this forum  :blink: and my experience) but that's all part of the fun. 

[gowing238]

We are lucky at our site because the local stables deliver two ton a week free of charge. But i plan only to use it on my soft fruit from now on. Mainly due to the on going problem people seem to be having with that weed killer amnio thing!!

[Salmo]

With green manures and a good compost heap you should be able to do without manure.